LG Chem begins first mass supply of semiconductor strippers to Amkor

LG Chem’s entry into Amkor’s stripper supply chain isn’t just a commercial win—it signals a technical inflection point. Advanced packaging for HBM and chiplets demands wet chemicals with atomic-level selectivity, shifting cleaning from residue removal to surface preservation. This cracks open a market long dominated by Japanese and U.S. players. Leveraging Korea’s integrated IDM-OSAT ecosystem, LG Chem bypasses geopolitical friction while capturing AI-driven capacity expansion. Competitors like Tokyo Ohka and Merck will likely accelerate localized production or trade IP for faster qualification. Within 18 months, suppliers mastering sub-10-ppt metal impurity control and closed-loop waste recycling will dictate terms; others lacking semiconductor-grade validation will be purged from the high-end segment.